It’s no surprise if the Macedonian Lions make the playoffs as the team has qualified every single year since the start of the tournament. The team is built around a solid core group who have put in a solid effort each and every tournament. In the past, the team has been led by George Servinis, who played five games with the Minnesota North Stars (now Dallas Stars) of the NHL in the mid-1980s. He also spent time with the Canadian men’s national team and won the NCAA title in 1985. Servinis has the tools to score as well as lay back and wait for his opportunity to pounce on a play. Helping him out on the blueline is Jamie Ritskos, who provides a strong presence in the back end, while still playing a clean game. Ritskos is an OHL veteran, having played with the Sarnia Sting and St. Michael’s Majors, and will continue to help the team in their quest for the title. The team finished third in the east division in 2007 and were in for a tough battle in the first round of the playoffs as they were set to face the Polish Hussars. While the Lions lost the game, 5-1, the Hussars wound up winning the Canadian Cup as well. In 2008, the team started off strong with a pair of impressive wins over the Maltese Falcons and Serbian White Eagles but close, one-goal losses to the Irish Gladiators and Japanese Arashi nearly put their season on ice. The team still managed to make it into the playoffs but had to face the tough Irish Shamrocks team and unfortunately it was too much. The Lions played a tough but fair game and at times looked like they would be the one en route the final instead. Always drawing a large crowd anxious to support them, perhaps one day in the near future, they will hear the loudest cheer of them all while hoisting the cup.